Austrian renewable energy developer and investor RP Global has joined hands with West African off-grid solar company Oolu, headquartered in Senegal, to launch a new commercial and industrial (C&I) solar venture in the region that goes by the name of westa.solar.
Through the new entity, the 2 partners intend to develop and implement a large but unidentified pipeline of C&I solar projects in West Africa, which they said will support business development in the region while promoting renewable energies across the country.
To kickstart its activities, westa.solar has started from Nigeria where it has installed its maiden project, a 500 kW installation for local packaging solutions provider Petrichor Industries Limited, jointly financed by the company along with UK Foreign & Commonwealth Development Office.
westa.solar said the 500 kW project will enable Petrichor to bring down its overall energy costs, reduce its reliance on diesel generators and also provide it resilience against frequent power outages. It is expected to generate savings worth NGN 235 million over the next decade for Petrichor.
"Ranging from 50kW to 5MW, our systems are fully customized to meet client demand. By providing a reliable supply at a competitive price we offer greater financial predictability and contribute to decarbonizing the Nigerian energy mix," said westa.solar's Country Manager Kolawole Akinboye.
This goes to show that corporate uptake of solar power in Nigeria is growing. In March 2021, Impact Investment Fund CrossBoundary brought online a 663.6 kW solar power project in the country for a Nigerian brewer under a power purchase agreement (see Solar Power Facility For Nigerian Brewery In Ibadan).
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